Building-block machine



4 Sheets-Sheet. 1-

J. H. MATHIS BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Nov. 11 1924.

Filed Feb. 5, 1923 Nov. 11 I924. 1,514,980

' J. H. MATHIS BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 11 1924. A

J. H. MATHIS BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Filed Feb. 5. 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inucnror- John K'LMQihiS Nov. 11 1924. v 1,514,980 1 I J. H. MATHIS BUILDING BLOCK MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1923 4 snee'ts-sneet'4 Invenior 13 JohnH-Tlafhls Patented Nov. 1 l i924.

hi id JOHN H. Marius, or severity, IN 'WYIJMIIYTG TOWNSHIP, 'ivrronienn.

BUILDING-BLOCK MACHINE.

Application filed February 5, 1923. Serial No. 617,147.

in the manufacture of'bi'iilding blocks, particularly those which are made of plaster of Paris stucco, a. cementitious material which is easily placed in a mould or form in a fluid or semi-fluid state and which rapidly sets or'hardens. Building blocks of this type, in order to save material, are formed with a number of longitudinal openings therethrough, the f-o in being equipped with cores extendinglengthwise and in spaced apart relation to each other, the cementitious material fiowing'around the same when introduced into the form. After the material has partly set it is necessary to remove the cores in order to thereafter take the blocks from'the form.

It is a primaryobject and purpose of the present invention to make a machine which is adapted to be used with two. forms, one at each side of the machine, said machine having two sets of coresprojecting therefrom in opposite directions, one at each side of'the machine which, in one position, are designed to pass through the form so as to make the same ready for the reception of the cementitious material, and in another position are withdrawn entirely from the form so that the same may be operated for the removal of the building blocks therefrom, and the replacement of the parts of the form inplace to againreceive the cores. lhe machine is designed so that when a se of cores atone sideis in operative position with respect to the format said. side, the "other set of cores is withdrawn from the form at the other side. A further object of the invention is to make the machine and equip it with a power means for moving it back and forth to thetwo positions which it occupies when in operative position with respect to the two forms, and with further means driven, if desired, by the same power, for rotating the cores and breaking thesame from the material of the blocks which has set around the cores, whereby the withdrawal of the cores from the blocks is easy and without liability of breaking or rupturing a block from the cores sticking thereto. These objects and purposes, together with many others not at this time particularly stated, and many novel features of construction and arrangements of parts for attaining the same will be apparent as understanding of the invention is had from the following description, taken in connectionii ith the accompanying drawings,-in which,

F 1 is a central longitudinal section through the machine made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevatioirof the machine.

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is afragmentary enlarged elevation of the central portion of the machine, parts being broken away and shown in section for a better disclosure of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 is-a vertical transversesecti-on, substantially on the plane of line 5+5, of Fig. 4. 1

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary end view illustrating the gearing means for moving the machine back and forth between its two po sitions andthe means used for delaying said movement until the cores have been started in their rotative movement and broken away from the blocks, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through said mechanism for permitting said delay of movement of the machine.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the difierent figures of the drawings.

In the construction of the machine, a carriage frame is provided having spaced apart vertical ends 1, at one end of which bars 2 of angle'iron, located one above the other, are positioned and secured to said end members 1 in any desired manner, while at the other-ends'of said ;-members 1, upper angle iron bars and 4, and a lower bar 3 are used for completing the frame and securing the end members 1 rigidly inposition with respect to each other. Plates-5 and 6 between the upper and lower bars 2 and 3 are used to close'the openings between them. A bar 7 of'angle-iron parallels the upper bars 2 and 3 and members 8 and 9 of different heights are disposed in parallel relation to each other and to the members 1, as bestshown in Fig. 1. A bottom plate 10 of sheet metal tion of the mechanism of the machine is.

mounted.

The carriage frame is disposed between two horizontally disposed channel members 11, one at each side of the machine and paralleling the same. These channel members are supported. by suitable blocks 12so as to be elevated a .istance above the ground or other floor over which the machine is mounted. At one side of the machine, two spaced apart vertically disposed bars 13 are secured, the ends being bent inwardly at right angles, as at 14 over the horizontal flanges of the upper and lower bars 2 and 3 at said side of the machine. Likewise, at the opposite side, similar vertical bars 15 are similarly disposed, having parts 16 bent inwardly at their lower ends to pass under the flange of the bar 3 at said side, and at their upper ends having longer parts 17 turned inwardly to pass over the upper bars 4, 3 and 7 These vertical bars 1.3 and 15 are permanently attached to the different bars, and on each bar an upper roller 18 and a lower roller 19 are rotatably mounted on a stud 20, attached to and projecting from the bars 13 and 15, the upper rollers coming directly under the upper flanges of the channels 11 and the lower rollers 19 riding on the lower flanges thereof.

As a means of reinforcing and strengthen ing the sides of the carriage frame. and to furnish supports for the journals of certain screw shafts, as will hereinafter appear, diagonally disposed angle bars 21 and 22 are secured between the upper and lower bars 2 and 3 at the opposite sides of the carriage frame. A rack 23 is attached to and lies above the upper flange of each channel member 1.1, with which racks pinions 24 secured at the ends of an equalizing shaft 25 are in mesh. It is apparent. that the carriage frame and any mechanism carried thereon may be moved back and forth on the channel members 11 as'supporting tracks therefor, and that-the movement must be equalized at both sides through the equalizing mechanism consisting of the shaft 25, pinions 24 and racks 23.

A series of spaced apart cores 26 pass through the end members 1 and have bearings therein, and at their inner ends have bearings in the members 8 (see Fig. 1). These cores are horizontally disposed in the same horizontal plane. Directly below the cores 26, a second series of cores 27 are similarly located, and below the cores 27, a third series of cores 28 are positioned. The inner ends of the cores 27 extend inwardly farther than the cores 26 above, and the lowermost series of cores extend still farther irfward to pass over the members 9 which serve as reinforcing supports for the inner 33 and 34- are rotatablv mounted between the sides of the frame, the shaft 32 engaging with all of the worm wheels 29, shaft 33 with all of the wheels and shaft 34 with all of the wheels 31, as shown in Fig. 1.

This mechanism is duplicated at each end of the machine, the cores projectingoutwardly at each end, and, preferably being slightly tapered outwardly, as shown.

At one side of the machine, an electric motor 35 is located above the frame, resting on and being secured to the upper bars 3, 4 and 7. Its shaft has a wide faced pinion 36 attached thereto which meshes with and drives two gears 37 and 38, located one back of the other and mounted on short idle shafts 39 which are carried in suitable bearings on the bar 4 and on an auxiliary supporting bracket 40 which is permanently fixed on the carriage frame around the motor, as shown. The gears 38 and 37 mesh with pinions 41 fixed on the adj acent ends of the worm shafts 32. Pinions 41 in turn mesh with other pinions 42 on the ends of the worm shafts and said pinions 42 mesh with other pinions 43 on the shafts 34 (see Fig. 4). Accordingly when the motor is driven, all of the shafts 32, 33 and 34, and all of the cores 26, 27 and 28 are driven in unison though not in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the cores is immaterial.

On the adjacent end portion of the shaft 25 a gear 44 is loosely mounted on a sleeve 45 which is keyed to the shaft, said gear being in engagement with an d driven by the gear 38. A. lug; 46 extends radially from the inner end of the sleeve 45 and a cooperating lug 47 projects from a side of the gear 44 whereby when the motor is started, lug 47 makes nearly a complete. revolution before it engages against the lug 46 to drive the shaft 25. It is evident, accordingly, that the cores are started in rotation immediately with the starting in motion of the motor 35- and that shortly thereafter, the shaft 24 is started in motion with a consequent bodily movement of the machine along the channel tracks 11, and that those cores which are inserted through the blocks have their con nection to the blocks broken before the machine begins to move to withdraw the cores from the blocks. as will now be set forth.

At each end of the machine a block form is located. The particular specific construe tion of the form is not very material and other constructions than those shown herein maybe used. As shown, the form comprises a bottom i8 which is carried on permanent supports igand at opposite sides of the said bottom, vertical side members are hingedly connected- These members have a plurality of openings therethrough so that the series of cores 26, 27 and 28 may pass through, as shown at the right in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. A plurality of equally spaced partitions 51 complete the form and the same are located vertically between the members 50 being seated at their lower edges in grooves in the bottom 48 and at their ends 1n grooves on the inner sides of the memhers 50. This construction of form is readily capable of being knocked down and rebuilt into operative form, it being merely neces sary to drop the hinged members 50, as shown at the left in Fig. 1, whereupon the partitions 51 are free for removal. This type of form provides a plurality of block spaces in each of which a block may be made when the cementitious mixture is therein.

The two forms are spaced apart a distance such that when the core carrying machine is in one position with the cores at one end or" the machine extending through the one form, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the cores at the opposite end of the machine are entirely withdrawn from the other form and far enough away that the adjacent member 50 has plenty of clearance to drop for the disassembly of the form for the removal of the blocks 52 which have been made therein. With the cores extending through the one form, said form may be filled with the cementitious material until the form is full.

The material is allowed to set and harden for a short time and then the motor 35 is started. The first result is to drive the screw shafts 32, 33 and 34L, with a consequent rotation of the cores which immediately, at the start of rotation, break loose from the cementitious material if there is any sticking thereto. As soon as the cores are free from the material of the blocks, the carriage as a whole is moved through the rotation of the shaft 25 on the channel tracks 11 so as to withdraw the cores in the one form where the cementitious material has been placed, and insert the cores at the opposing end through the other form which has had the blocks previously made therein removed the form reassembled so as to be in position to receive the cores. The filling process for the second form may then be carried out as with the first form, and in the meantime during such filling and while the material is setting, the blocks be removed from the first form and it be reassembled for the passage of the cores thereinto when the machine is moved back away from the second form. The motor is reversible and the core carrying machine is moved incither direction as desired.

This machine is very practical and with it building blocks may be made very rapidly. I have shown the machine with three cores for each block, as is the design with certain sizes of blocks. Son e'blocks are made with four openings lengthwise thereof, and in such case the machine merely has to be designed with four series of horizontally located cores and additional screw shafts used to operate the additional series of cores. Large quantity production is had with this machine which is comparatively simple, durable in service and practically operative in all respects. The appended claims define the invention and I consider myself entitled to all forms of construction coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a carriage, means for mounting the carriage for movement back and forth between two positions, a plurality of cores projecting from opposite ends of the carriage, and means for driving all of the cores to rotate the same about their longitudinal axes simultaneously, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, a carriage, means for mounting the carriage for moven'ient back and forth between two positions, a plurality of rotatably mounted cores projecting from opposite ends of the carriage, means for rotating all of the cores sin'iultaneously, and means for moving the carriage during the time the cores are rotating.

3. In machine of the class described. a carriage, a track at each side thereof, rollers on the carriage running on the tracks, a plurality of cores rotatably mounted on the carriage and projecting outwardly therefrom at each end of the carriage between and substantially paralleling the tracks, two forms located one at either end of the carriage, the cores at an end of the carriage being adapted to pass through the form at said end of the carriage when the carriage is in one position and with the cores at the opposite end of the carriage entirely disassociated with the other form, means for simultaneously driving all of the cores, and means for moving the carriage on the tracks, substantially as described.

i. In combination, two spaced apart forms, a core carrying carriage mounted for movement between the forms toward one form and away from the other, or vice versa. cores projecting from the carriage toward each form, and means for moving the carriage, said cores being adapted to pass through the adjacent form when the carriage is in one position, substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the class described, a

10 tracks.

6. In combination two spaced apart forms, spaced tracks located between the forms, a carriage mounted on the tracks, means for moving the carriage on the tra: toward either form, cores projecting from the carriage toward each form, and means for rotating the cores.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN H. 3/ ATHIS. 

